Buckle up! Mario Kart Wii puts everyone in the driver’s seat

New Wii Wheel Brings Motion Controls to Nintendo’s Racing Franchise

VANCOUVER, April 29 /CNW/ - Since the invention of the automobile, kids
have pantomimed driving with pretend steering wheels. Since the dawn of the
video game age, people of all ages playing racing games have twisted and
turned their controllers to steer their vehicles, even though it had no effect
on the action on the screen. Now, Mario Kart(R) Wii makes these fantasies a
reality and brings a new level of immersion and interaction to video games.
The raucous driving game, which launched Sunday, comes packaged with the
Wii Wheel(TM) steering wheel accessory that houses the Wii Remote(TM)
controller and lets players steer just as though they were driving a real car.
The accessory has been specifically designed and engineered so that even
someone who has never played a video game before can pick up the Wii Wheel and
start racing instantly.
“Just like Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii will have everyone in the household
playing together, laughing and having fun,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of
Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “With the Wii Wheel and ability
to race with Mii caricatures, Mario Kart Wii literally puts players directly
into the game.”
While newcomers will find it easy to hop into a race, Mario Kart Wii
holds plenty of challenges to keep veterans busy. Mario Kart Wii features 16
new tracks, as well as 16 retro tracks from previous Mario Kart games. Dozens
of characters from the Mushroom Kingdom are present, and each has his or her
own collection of customized vehicles to race.
For the first time in the Mario Kart series, racers can compete on either
motorbikes or karts as they find shortcuts, grab power-ups and take down other
racers in a frantic free-for-all. In addition to the Wii Wheel, players can
also choose from three other control configurations, such as the Nunchuk(TM)
and Wii Remote controllers, Nintendo GameCube(TM) controller or the Classic
Controller(TM), so everyone will find a suitable setup.
Four people can compete on a single Wii(TM) system, or up to 12 people
near or far can race via Nintendo(R) Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s online
gaming service. A new Mario Kart Channel on the Wii Menu lets players compete
in tournaments, check rankings, see when their friends are playing and
download ghost data.
For more information about Mario Kart Wii, visit www.mariokart.com.
Remember that the Wii console features parental controls that let adults
manage the content their children can access. For more information about this
and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.